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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. swing — in golf
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bear — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bear — the animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. content — the amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. content — happy
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com